The C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre received the Indira Gandhi ParyavaranPuraskar for the year 1996 in September 2000. The award instituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests is presented every year to individuals and organisations, who have contributed significantly towards environmental protection. The award includes a silver lotus trophy, a citation and a cash prize of Rupees One Lakh.

Using the cash award as corpus, the Board of Governors of the C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre decided to institute an annual C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre Award for Environmental Education. The annual award is given to a teacher, who has contributed to the field of environmental education, preferably from a rural area. The award consists of a silver plaque, a citation, as well as a cash prize.

This year’s awardee, Shri. S. Ganapathy, Trained Graduate Teacher, Government Girls’ Middle School, Mutharayarpalayam, Puducherry, is an environmentalist and an avid bird watcher. He takes much interest in protecting the birds that visit the Ousteri and Bahour lakes. He has been carrying out bird census for Wetland International since 1993. He frequently takes his students on field visits to these lakes and involves them in bird conservation.

Shri. Ganapathy has participated and made his school students take part in environmental awareness campaigns, rallies, etc. He has delivered several lectures on the importance of environmental conservation, pollution and importance of birds among teachers, students and general public. He delivered a talk on sparrows on International Sparrows Day in Pudhuvai Vani F.M. of the Puducherry University. He has arranged exhibitions on birds and medicinal plants in many schools in Puducherry. He has also motivated his students to raise nurseries of indigenous plants, to collect seeds and to plant trees.

During his tenure as a teacher in the Government Higher Secondary School, Thondamanatham, Puducherry, the school was given the Best Natural Club Award by the Department of Science, Technology & Environment, Government of Puducherry, for three successive years.

C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre (CPREEC) received the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar for the year 1996 in September 2000. The award included a silver lotus trophy, a citation and a cash prize of Rupees One Lakh. Using the cash award as corpus, the Board of Governors of the C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre decided to institute an annual C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre Award for Environmental Education. The annual award is given to a teacher, who has contributed to the field of environmental education, preferably from a rural area. The award consists of a silver plaque, a citation, as well as a cash prize.

The eleventh award function was held on August 22, 2011. Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, CPREEC, gave away the C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre Award for Environmental Education - 2011 to Shri. B.V. Gundappa, Asst. Master, Government Pre-University College, Nagavalli in Tumkur district, Karnataka, in recognition of his contribution to environmental conservation and awareness through education.

C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre (CPREEC) received the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar for the year 1996 in September 2000. The award included a silver lotus trophy, a citation and a cash prize of Rupees One Lakh. Using the cash award as corpus, the Board of Governors of the C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre decided to institute an annual C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre Award for Environmental Education. The annual award is given to a teacher, who has contributed to the field of environmental education, preferably from a rural area. The award consists of a silver plaque, a citation, as well as a cash prize.

The tenth award function was held on July 31, 2010. Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, CPREEC, gave away the
C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre Award for Environmental Education - 2010 to Shri. Bency Joy, a teacher from Andaman & Nicobar Islands, in recognition of his contribution to environmental conservation through education.

C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre (CPREEC) received the Indira Gandhi ParyavaranPuraskar for the year 1996 in September 2000. The award included a silver lotus trophy, a citation and a cash prize of Rupees One Lakh. Using the cash award as corpus, the Board of Governors of the C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre decided to institute an annualC. P. R. Environmental Education Centre Award for Environmental Education. The annual award is given to a teacher, who has contributed to the field of environmental education, preferably from a rural area. The award consists of a silver plaque, a citation, as well as a cash prize.

The ninth award function was held on August 19, 2009. Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, CPREEC, gave away the
C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre Award for Environmental Education - 2009 to Shri. Rajendra Pandurang Kerkar, a teacher from Goa, in recognition of his contribution to environmental conservation through education.

Ms. Shoba has been actively involved in environmental education activities since 2005. She has planted several trees in and around her school campus. She actively involved her students in cleaning up the Pykara and Kamaraj Sagar tourist areas. She motivated her students to implement the anti-plastic campaign at Thalaikundha. Her school actively participated in the National Environmental Awareness Campaign of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. She has made her school practice waste management by recycling waste and composting, and has made it a plastic-free zone

Her school students have actively participated in rallies on noise pollution under the aegis of the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board. Ms. Shoba has established a kitchen garden and herbal garden in her school. She works for energy conservation and has also put up several environmental messages.

Shri. Swaraj Kumar Kanhar is a dedicated environmental conservationist in Boudh District of Orissa. He has done yeoman service to protect the forests, wildlife and environment since 1987. He has organised several awareness camps and seminars on prevention of forest fires.

Shri.Kanhar has motivated the local students and tribes to conserve nature by organizing several awareness programmes. His efforts to protect and expand forests and conserve biodibversity are commendable. He has helped people during times of distress by providing medical assistance to those affected by fires and floods.

As a teacher for more than 25 years, Shri.Rajan has been a source of inspiration and a motivator of young minds. He has been instrumental in forming Energy Conservation Clubs in more than 60 schools in Kottayam He is the school co-ordinator of the National Green Corps (NGC) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, and District Coordinator of Kindness Clubs and Love Green Clubs in schools.

Shri.Rajan has published a booklet entitled Jantu Janya Rogangal on behalf of SPCA, Kottayam and is also the Chief Editor of Neelakurinji, a scientific magazine.

His passion for the environment has transformed this teacher into a innovator. He has successfully developed improvised, low cost energy conserving devices like a new smokeless chulha named Grahalakshmi and has been propagating the use of a thermal cooker, named Thapa Bharani. He has spearheaded the rainwater harvesting drive by building one at his school which has served as a model for many.

Shri. Ramakrishnappa started his career as a school teacher in 1969. He served as a major resource person, introducing nature education to primary children. Between 1993 and 1995 more than 800 programmes were conducted all over the state, covering 40,000 students. In 1996, when the Secondary School syllabus was redesigned to include ecological concepts and activities called Parisara Payana for Class X, he was the main resource person and designed an activity book for teachers. Mr. Ramakrishnappa students took up identification of Medicinal plants for the school level Biodiversity Registers in Karnataka and won prizes.

Since 1993, he has been participating in the National Children Science Congress as a guide and trainer for other teachers. Shri. Ramakrishnappa was also instrumental in forming 1200 self-help groups for women in Tumkur under the Continuing Education Centre. He has authored three books in Kannada: Parisara Payana, Audi Kaliyova, Papanna Pariya Kathe and translated a guidebook into Kannada as Chinnara Loka.

Shri. V. Ramalingam is a dedicated environmentalist and has been instrumental in bringing awareness to the citizens of Pondicherry about their environment. As the Teacher in-charge of the Environment Education Cell, State Training Centre, Government of Pondicherry and Coordinator, National Green Corps (NGC), he has motivated and trained several teachers and students to establish herbal gardens in schools. He has organized environmental awareness workshops for students, teachers and voluntary workers in the Union Territory of Pondicherry since 1989. He has played a pivotal role in documenting the ecological and archaeological heritage of the Union Territory. Shri. Ramalingam has paved the way for many school based environmental activities and eco clubs. He has led many environmental movements and mentored many.

Shri. J. LakshminarayananHeadmaster, Government High School
Kallakorai, Nilgiris District, Tamilnadu.

Shri. J. Lakshminarayanan is a dedicated environmentalist and has worked hard to motivate the students of the schools in the Nilgiris District of Tamilnadu to protect the environment. With his students, he participated in the establishment and maintenance of C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre gene pool of medicinal plants in Thambatti. He established a community polytechnic for tribals in Kammathi village of Gudalur taluk. He has worked hard to prevent the degradation of the Mudumalai forest. As Headmaster of Kallakorai Government High School, he has involved the students in planting 7000 cypress trees and 500 shola species. He has brought in segregation of garbage, and vermicomposting of biodegradable waste. He has set up a herbal garden and bird feeders, and motivated teachers and schools in this ecologically fragile and important district, to save the forests from human interference.

Shri. M. Ramadoss has made commendable efforts to increase awareness and interest among the students and public about environmental protection and conservation. He is a dedicated conservationist and educator. He has been very actively involved in afforestation and water conservation programmes in Nenmeli village. He has transformed his school into an environmentally sustainable model by diverting the waste water for use in the kitchen garden and cooking the mid-day meal in a well maintained smokeless chulha. Every year he accompanies his students around the nearby villages to mobilise the people cooperation for water conservation and proper waste recycling.

Shri. R. Sankara Narayana has made commendable efforts to increase awareness and interest among the students and public about environmental protection and conservation. He has motivated his students and their parents to green the school and the village. With the combined efforts of the Headmaster, his students, their parents and the villagers, the school campus has turned green, with the plantation of different varieties of plants. To increase the consciousness and involvement of the people, he has spent his personal money to purchase different plant species. The Headmaster has also constructed two new classrooms and renovated the school premises. He is a dedicated conservationist and educator.